London History

Join host Hazel Baker and award-winning buildings archaeologist James Wright as they discuss Medieval toilets in London. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a splash of personality. There's so much we can't fit into our tours, no matter how hard we try. This London history podcast is where we can get down and dir...

Join host Hazel Baker and guest John Donegan from Handel & Hendrix house as they talk about the London lives of composer George Frederic Handel and Jimi Hendrix. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a splash of personality. There's so much we can't fit into our tours, no matter how hard we try. This London his...

Join tour guide Hazel Baker and historian Andrea Zuvich talk about the life and loves of James Scott, the first Duke of Monmouth aka the doomed Duke. Immerse yourself in the Stuart court in this 20 minute episode. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a splash of personality. There's so much we can't fit into our t...

Archeology suggests that Roman London began with the Anglo-Saxons and became pretty much totally empty around the middle of the 5th century. Join London Tour Guide, Hazel Baker and City of London Tour Guide, Ian McDiarmid , as they share the pieces that caught their eye from the Medieval section at the Museum of London. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute e...

The Bloomsbury Set embraced a new culture where sexual equality and freedoms were not only practiced but celebrated. They searched for definitions of the good, true, and beautiful. They supported sexual equality and freedom, informality and fierce intellectual debate. All largely at odds with their strict Victorian upbringings. Hear your host Hazel Baker , discuss all things Bloomsbury with Enke H...

The clock tower of the houses of parliament is not only an icon for London but for the UK. It’s a symbol for democracy and evokes a sense of national pride. It is also one of the Top 5 selfie spots in the world, along with London Bridge, Paris’s Eiffel Tower and Rome’s Coliseum. To accompany this podcast I have put together a colouring-in sheet for our younger listeners with some of the key facts...

Greenwich has some of the finest architecture in London. Join tour guides Hazel Baker and Ian McDiarmid as they discuss how Greenwich Palace became Greenwich Hospital. We cover the Tudors and Stewarts and how the British Monarchy created a different identity to that of their counterparts in France.  Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot epi...

The Gerald Coke Handel Collection is the biggest private collection of Handel memorabilia in the world and is on display at the Foundling Museum. Katharine Hogg is the Librarian of the Gerald Coke Handel Collection at the Foundling Museum, where she has worked for over 20 years and will be sharing her vast knowledge and deep love for the Collection. We cover the charity benefit concerts Handel did...

Today we are going to be talking about the famous black London cab, a celebrated icon of London life which are relied upon by millions of travellers, tourists and Londoners alike. Find answers to questions such as: Where was London's first taxi rank? Why Are Black Cabs Called Hackney Cabs? Where does the word taxi come from? What are Cabmen's Shelters? Learn things about London that most Londoners...

Join Hazel Baker as she talks with Paul Couchman, The Regency Cook, about the influence of the Regency period on food, French chefs, and fanciful flavours. What would you recognise if you walked into a Regency Kitchen? What were the most popular foods and flavours? Listen now to find out. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London h...

What was the Festival of Britain and was it a success? Hear how the festival planted the seeds for optimism in post war Britain and how Londoners are still benefiting from its legacy. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a splash of personality. There's so much we can't fit into our tours, no matter how hard we tr...

There is one special place in London that has a strong connection with Franklin and that is Benjamin Franklin House which is a museum in a terraced Georgian house on Craven Street and is the world's only remaining home of Benjamin Franklin. The house itself dates from c. 1730, and is a grade I listed property. Since opening to the public on 17 January 2006, Franklin's 300th birthday, the House has...

St George and his dragon are woven into the very fabric of London. You’ll find references to him all over town and so I thought that I would share with you some of the best St George's Day themed places in London which you can visit yourselves and if you're overseas, don't worry, I have photos and videos for you in the show notes below. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know...

Have you wandered through London and noticed hints to its past?  Guest Anthony Chalmers talks to us of London's ever-changing environment and how green spaces "London lungs" need to be fought for.  Places mentioned include South Norwood Country Park, Ravensbourne River, Crayford Marshes, Sydenham Hill Wood, River Lee, the Thames River, Deptford, Honour Oak Park. Learn things about London...

Today we are going to be talking about the area of Shoreditch in the East End of London that forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Nowadays it's a creative hub with colourful street art, hip pubs and cafes, edgy galleries and popular nightclubs. But it hasn't always been a haven for street artists, the man bun and smashed avocado junkies. So, let's start at the very beginning h...

Think Bridgerton was raunchy? It's nothing compared to some of the styles of dress during the Regency period. Hear Hazel chat with dress historian Hilary Davidson who busts some of Regency style dress myths including corsets, visible nipples, the invention of the trouser and whether Mr Darcy was correct to wear breeches and shirt when he plunged into the lake back in 1996. All shall be revealed! P...

In this episode, London tour guide Hazel Baker and City of London tour guide Ian McDiarmid talk about leprosy and leper houses in medieval London. Want to know how zombies feature in this episode? Have a listen! Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a splash of personality. There's so much we can't fit into our tou...

Did you know the world's first Jurassic Park was actually in Crystal Palace Park? It's been said that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were fascinated by the dinosaur displays in Crystal Palace and had visited the site several times. Have you been? Hear Hazel Baker talk with Sarah Slaughter about these wonderful life-sized dinosaurs. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in...

Join tour guides Hazel Baker and Dr Stephen King as they discuss the wonderful history of the area around Borough Market, known as Bankside. In this episode we discuss beer, brewing, trading and also drinking it. Stephen shares some of his favourite historic pubs with links to literary greats such as Shakespeare and Chaucer. Learn how special effects caused The Globe Theatre to burn to the ground,...

London has wonderfully eclectic array of architectural styles. In episode 45, London tour guide Hazel Baker talks to architect and artist Christian Coop about his inspiration for drawing London's buildings and how understanding the history of the building and street helps tell a richer story. Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of Lond...

If you want to gain a vivid view of Tudor London, a London that was mostly lost due to the Great Fire of London, then you need to familiarise yourself with John Stow’s ‘Survey of London’. Join London Tour Guide Hazel Baker  and City of London tour guide Ian McDiarmid  as they discuss Tudor London and the man behind the ink and quill. Learn things about London that most Londoner...

For over 200 years, London fog defined our city. It’s brought confusion, suicide, and tragic death, but also reassuring anonymity, romanticize mystery, and an intangible beauty. Joining Hazel in this episode is Dr. Elizabeth Dearnley, editor of the book called Into the London Fog. She will discuss how London fog has inspired writers, filmmakers, and herself. Learn things about London that most Lon...

Get to know the man behind the beginnings of the National Gallery. With the assistance of artists such as Joshua Reynolds and Benjamin West, John Julius Angerstein started to establish a collection of Old Master Paintings. In total, he collected 38 important works of art, some were displayed at Woodlands and others at his rooms at his town house at 100 Pall Mall. Many of Angerstein’s earlier purch...

Medieval London was a very different place, with large walled off precincts for friaries. Join Hazel and Ian as they explore what the  friaries were, how they differed monasteries, what Londoners thought of them and what Blackfriars precinct would have been like.  Learn things about London that most Londoners don't even know in a 20 minute espresso shot episode of London history with a s...

Victorian author Charles Dickens writes about Greenwich in a number of places, including magazines, such as The Uncommercial Traveller and Household Words and also in some of his novels such as Bleak House and Our Mutual friend. Sometimes it's the smallest of small mentions, such as in David Copperfield, to full descriptions of the fun of Greenwich Fair in Sketches by Boz. Join Hazel as she shares...